Chapter 145: The Calamity Beneath Sun Wukong's Three Strikes Against the White Bone Demon

"Everything I'm telling you is simply unavoidable, so we can only let nature take its course."

"Of course, there's no need for you to worry too much. Since there's a contest of interests, your Shang dynasty can also take this opportunity to further consolidate your national strength and military might. An army is raised for a thousand days to be used in a single hour. The last time, 3,000 soldiers wiped out the 100,000-strong army of the Wusang Kingdom in one fell swoop. You can take this opportunity to truly test your actual strength."

Once the Conferment of Gods begins, nations will rise concurrently, and heroes will contend for supremacy. The big fish eat the small fish, the weak fall prey to the strong, and the fittest survive through natural selection. In such a world of natural competition, falling behind means taking a beating.

Chu Xiaoyu's words suddenly brought total enlightenment to King Zhou, Bigan, and the others.

They no longer obsessed over whether the List of Creation was activated. In a chaotic world, if their Great Shang could stand tall and unfallen, it would prove one simple thing:

The national strength and military might of their Great Shang were rock-solid, impenetrable like steel.

"Oh, by the way, Master, a few days ago, this lonely king met a man named Shen Gongbao. He came to see me of his own accord and even told me some baffling things."

"Now, this lonely king has some doubts. Shen Gongbao actually seems to have some genuine abilities, and I want to make use of him, but in my heart, I am somewhat conflicted. Master, tell me, should this person be used, or not?"

"Uh... Shen Gongbao? Has this scoundrel already surfaced?"

Now that he thought about it, the Conferment of Gods was about to be unleashed; surely it had already alarmed all the demons and ghosts across the realm, right?

As long as one wasn't a fool, the allure of a coveted spot on the List of Creation scroll was immense to anyone.

That was a luscious, sweet cake, and everyone wanted a bite.

"That fellow Shen Gongbao can be utilized broadly, but he must never be entrusted with heavy responsibilities," Chu Xiaoyu gave a standard answer.

King Zhou was momentarily stunned: "Utilized broadly, but never entrusted with heavy responsibilities? Master, could you explain the reason behind this?"

"The reason is very simple. Shen Gongbao is born with a rebellious bone; you could say he is a fence-sitter who sways wherever the profit lies. Tell me, for a man like this—talented though he may be—aside from utilizing him cautiously, would you dare to give him immense authority?"

Chu Xiaoyu's rhetorical question left King Zhou and Bigan looking at each other in dismay.

Indeed, people born with a rebellious streak were often the most terrifying.

Because you never knew when such a person might viciously stab you in the back, leaving you completely defenseless.

Such a person was just like chicken ribs: tasteless to eat, yet too wasteful to discard.

"Master, this lonely king understands and knows what to do. Thanks to your guidance, otherwise my ministers and I would still be worrying ourselves sick over this matter, not knowing what path to take."

"Haha... Uncle Bigan, come, come, let's continue to eat our fill and enjoy ourselves to the utmost."

While Chu Xiaoyu, King Zhou, and Bigan discussed affairs of state at the dining table, A Shan, Su Daji, and the other women had no interest whatsoever in matters of state.

No one even noticed when the two women quietly left the table.

With the affairs of Great Shang concluded, the conversation shifted to the monkey's Journey to the West.

Facing a massive table filled with fresh ingredients, Sun Wukong showed little interest and instead looked rather melancholy.

Sun Wukong, Fatty Niu, and Yan Beigui sat drinking mediocre wine listlessly.

A strong, dozen-proof Erguotou—downed in a single gulp—brought a burning sensation down the throat that felt truly refreshing.

Normally, Chu Xiaoyu didn't allow the monkey, Fatty Niu, and the others to drink.

They were animals, after all; once they drank too much and threw a drunken tantrum, his farm would suffer.

But at this moment, the monkey was in low spirits, so he simply let him be.

"Ah... Monkey Brother, I can't take it anymore. I... I'm feeling dizzy; I need to sleep for a bit."

Fatty Niu truly lacked a high alcohol tolerance, collapsing straight onto the table and snoring loudly.

The monkey continued to go toe-to-toe with Yan Beigui in their drinking duel.

Yan Beigui's alcohol tolerance was passable, so Sun Wukong was naturally no match for him, yet the monkey had no intention of crying uncle, still downing the potent Erguotou in single gulps.

At this point, Chu Xiaoyu couldn't bear to watch any longer: "If you can't hold your liquor, stop drinking. Drinking it like this is just a waste."

"Mas... Master, this disciple is fine. Old Sun is just unhappy in his heart, and this disciple simply wants to..."

"Heh, you're letting yourself get struck down by such a tiny setback? If that's the case, Monkey, I really look down on you."

The corners of Chu Xiaoyu's mouth curved into a cold, faint smile: "You might as well think back to all those previous setbacks and hardships; none of them managed to beat you, this Sun Monkey, flat on your back. But what about now? Isn't it just a misunderstanding? Isn't it just being driven out by that bald donkey of a monk? What's the big deal? It's just a trivial little matter."

"Master, while you may say that, but... that hateful bald donkey of a monk, right in front of that pig-head and Sha Wujing, didn't give me an ounce of respect and outright told me, this disciple, to get lost..."

"Hmph, to speak the truth, this disciple simply cannot swallow this foul breath."

"Brother Sun, what happened on your end? Do you need our help?"

King Zhou and the others, who had been eating and drinking to their hearts' content, also chimed in, wanting to join the excitement.

Sun Wukong said angrily, "Hah, Old Sun is feeling annoyed right now. Oh, by the way, where is Su Hu? Why is General Su not here? We agreed last time that I wanted to purchase some grenades from you lot—damn it, a single grenade would blow that damned little punk straight to hell."

As Sun Wukong spoke with a fierce expression, Chu Xiaoyu smiled and shook his head: "You monkey... Sigh, given your hot temper right now, I certainly wouldn't advise you to go through with any transactions. You'd end up hurting others and harming yourself, and everything would go to ruin."

"Master, but this disciple just can't swallow this anger."

Sun Wukong poured himself another cup of fiery liquor and gulped it down in one go.

"Sigh, why must you be like this? Can't you endure even the tiniest of setbacks? Very well, if I told you that the hateful bald donkey of a monk you keep obsessing over immediately met with disaster right after casting you out, would that make you feel a bit better?"

"Ah... Master, is that hateful bald donkey of a monk really going to suffer a disaster?" Sun Wukong couldn't help but feel excited.

Chu Xiaoyu nodded: "Mn. Your three strikes against the White Bone Demon enraged Xuanzang, leading him to banish you. The master and his two disciples continued their journey and encountered a demon on the way, which promptly transformed that monk into a tiger... Bajie and Sha Wujing were completely helpless to do anything about it."

"Monkey, why don't you guess how things turned out for them in the end?"

"Haha... That hateful bald donkey of a monk was turned into a tiger by a demon? Master, is this true? Haha... That is simply hilarious, haha..."

The monkey roared with wild laughter, nearly rolling around on the ground.

"You monkey..."

Seeing the monkey's wild amusement, everyone couldn't help but chuckle.

"Master, what happened to that monk in the end?"

With his mood instantly soaring, Sun Wukong no longer cared about that trivial little matter at all.